i've currently got a flat bar road bike with disc brakes and i'm thinking of changing to drop bars, will i be able to run the cable opperated disc brakes with a normal set of drop bar gear/brake levers?
Technically no. In real life, yes, but they will feel strange since the cable pull isn't the same.
This is assuming you are using STIs and not Avid BB road discs.
i've got some travel adjusters which convert roadie levers to mtb cable pull, cant remember what they'r called (travelators?), paid £22 off here and never used them as i've more projects in the shed than i can shake a stick at!
i think they are tektro brakes if that makes any difference.
Supposedly you'll need some specific calipers designed to work with drop bar levers if you're running the STI type brake levers - Avid do them, never seen anyone else..
If your brake levers are just for braking (ie no shifters built in) then I think Dia Compe do a brake lever designed to work with Vee brakes - that'll work with your disks.
Though with careful setup and a minimal clearance of the pads you might find some people get the two to work okay....
actualy, i have run drop levers to v's before, works fine, but the power is brutal as they pull less cable with more force!
the travel adjusters are made up of two cocentric cyliners so whe you wrap the cable round the big one, through an eyelet and round the small one it alters the leverage, needs to sit on the v-brake or somewhere else where a 90deg (or 180deg) bend can be accomodated.
thisisnotaspoon - is it like one of [url= http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=6360&category=18 ]these?[/url] I can't seem to find one in the UK tho. where did you get yours from?
Also, I have a SRAM rear mech (SX5 or X5 i think), will i need to get a SRAM shifter too or will a Campag/Shimano one do the same? i.e. are there actuations different like they are on MTBs? I'm currently using SRAM flat bar X5 shifters.